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Porsche Scorpion
The Porsche Scorpion (Panzerkampfwagen Skorpion Ausf. A or PzKpfw Skorpion Ausf. A) was a limited-run production derivative of the United Nations Space Command's venerable main battle tank. Manufactured by the German automotive company Porsche, PzKpfw Skorpion was envisioned to fulfill an Army requirement for an inexpensive, off-the-shelf heavy tank with strengthened armor, a 155mm gun, and a powerplant to sustain it at fast speeds for long distances. History Testing Trials began smoothly in early 2552 as the Porsche Scorpion received excellent ratings towards Rheinmetall's L/98 smoothbore gun and coaxial , as well as its survivability package of hardened titanium armor and reactive armor tiling. However, issues with its powerplant arose in field maneuvers. Such a tank with its specifications had never been successfully fielded by any land force to this point, and although major faults were to be expected, Army leaders were nonetheless disappointed by Porsche's in-house 6,802-horsepower gas turbine engine and its inability to sustain the 93-ton titanium behemoth in maneuver warfare. Porsche's engineers worked tirelessly to remedy their Scorpion's issues with news of the raging in mid-August and early trials of the revised gas turbine engine proved successful. East African Campaign on 11 November.]] The two months later would see the Porsche Scorpion thrown into combat long before it was deemed fit for service. This Scorpion proved itself essential to the UNSC's efforts in East Africa during the month of fighting, serving in nearly every armored engagement of the battle with the German 293rd Heavy Panzer Battalion and its three companies. Covenant lines broke effortlessly with the Porsche Scorpion at the head of an advance. It was often noted that the sheer force of this tank's mass at full speed could tear off the maneuvering fins of the and severely impact its hull. Porsche's heavy Scorpion derivative was met with accolades in battle, though these successes were not enough to outweigh its detracting characteristics. The design was still plagued by its weight that often dug itself into the surface and was incapable of fast transport by even heavy-lift dropships. 155mm rounds were too large and cumbersome to equip PzKpfw Skorpion with adequate firepower for sustained periods, as were the 40mm rounds of the M410 autocannon that ate through its ammunition stores with impunity. Its gas turbine engine was prone to many faults, often wearing itself down in the middle of engagements necessitating the need for the commander to exit the vehicle in motion to repair it. Fate and legacy The Army's Armor Branch cancelled orders of Panzerkampfwagen Skorpion Ausf. A on January 28th, 2553 following the cease fire with the Covenant. Porsche ended testing and production of its now fabled design the following day. Coincidentally, just as had happened with Porsche's VK4501 Tiger (P) during the Second World War, Skorpion's legacy would live on in one of the company's future designs. The was Porsche's revision to troubled . Tiger featured Skorpion's L/98 tank gun; the M436, a 30mm derivative of its ammunition hungry 40mm cousin, the M410; and a fully field tested and combat rated Panzermotor Modell A gas turbine engine. 98 examples of the Porsche Scorpion were built for the Army and only 73 saw combat in East Africa. 14 were rushed into production and sent to the theatre in reserve. The remaining 11 remained at Porsche's testing facility at 29th (German) Armored Brigade headquarters in Sigmaringen, Baden-Württemberg. Operators *United Nations Army **10th (German) Guards Armored Division (10. Deutsches Wachen Panzerdivision) ***29th (German) Armored Brigade (Deutsches Panzerbrigade 29) ****293rd Heavy Panzer Battalion (Schwere Panzerbataillon 293) — Assigned to the Kenyan Guards' 11th Separate Provisional Armored Brigade and later with the Regular Army's 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division, VIII Corps during the Battle of Kenya from October 27th to November 18th, 2552. *****Alpha Company Battlegroup Kuromorimine ******Alpha Company Element 1 (ACE-1) Seeteufel ******Alpha Company Element 2 (ACE-2) Schildkröte ******Alpha Company Element 3 (ACE-3) Ente ******Alpha Company Element 4 (ACE-4) Nilpferd ******Alpha Company Element 5 (ACE-5) Kaninchen ******Alpha Company Element 6 (ACE-6) Stockente ******Alpha Company Element 7 (ACE-7) Ameisenbär ******Alpha Company Element 8 (ACE-8) Leopon **XLVIII Armored Corps (Rapid Reaction) ***136th Armored Cavalry Regiment (2-136 CAV) ****2nd Squadron, 136th Armored Cavalry (2-136 CAV) Related pages External * ; Porsche.com (Retrived 2554.6.29)